It's Pride Month, and we want to raise awareness of the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ population face in our nation. We realize this is a multi-faceted issue, so this is simply an introduction to the possible experiences of our clients and LGBTQ+ individuals within our community. Our hope at Heartland Therapy Connection is to shed … Continue reading What Does LGBTQ+ Discrimination Look Like?
Celebrating Pride When You Aren’t Out
June is Pride Month for the LGBTQIA+ community. While it’s good to remember why we celebrate Pride, Pride is often an intensely personal celebration that doesn’t come without its challenges. One community in particular that feels this challenge is those who are not yet out. First and foremost, I want to affirm that it’s okay … Continue reading Celebrating Pride When You Aren’t Out
How to Create an Activism Survival Kit
The start of Pride Month offers an excellent opportunity to assess where we stand in creating positive change in the world and how we can continue our efforts. However, being an activist or a part of a marginalized community is no easy task, and creating change can sometimes be draining when you are swimming against … Continue reading How to Create an Activism Survival Kit
The Physical Impact of Trauma
Some of our readers have been on a mental health journey of healing, growing, and receiving support for years. In contrast, others have only recently gotten curious about mental health. One primary way to grow in mental health awareness is by checking in with yourself and noticing what is going on in your beautiful physical … Continue reading The Physical Impact of Trauma
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress
What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)? Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (Ages 0-17), such as neglect and experiencing or witnessing violence. ACEs can cause Toxic Stress and have lasting effects on physical health and mental well-being into adulthood. The CDC-Kaiser Permanente adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study between 1995 … Continue reading Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress
Defining Sexual Harassment and Assault
One area of mental health that Heartland Therapy Connection aims to treat and raise awareness for is the impact of sexual abuse and assault. The discussion of awareness starts with knowing the proper terminology. There is power for a victim, or survivor, of sexual abuse and assault to identify what injustice they experienced. When diving … Continue reading Defining Sexual Harassment and Assault
The Truth About Therapy
For those who are new to the therapeutic process, therapy may seem quite intimidating. Like many other things, the media doesn’t always portray therapy in an accurate light, leading to a large discrepancy between the expectations and reality of the therapeutic experience. In actuality, therapy is a safe space that helps facilitate personal insight, the … Continue reading The Truth About Therapy
Mental Health TikTok: Positive Impacts
Like it or not, TikTok is a reigning champ on the social media scene today. According to recent statistics, it is currently the sixth most popular social media site, with almost 70% of its users falling under the age of 40. Amid the tutorials, challenges, and pet videos, however, there is a new category of … Continue reading Mental Health TikTok: Positive Impacts
The Power of Storytelling
For the year 2023, the theme for Women’s History Month is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." This theme is an ode to the power of storytelling throughout history and in current news. Why is storytelling so important? Recounting Events. Storytellers were the original historians. They are the reason we know of past events and … Continue reading The Power of Storytelling
Brené Brown: Leader, Pioneer, and Researcher
A prominent figure during Women’s History Month, as well as in the field of counseling, is Brené Brown, a PhD in Social Work from the University of Houston in 2002. She is well known as a mental health pioneer and shame researcher who studies human connection -the power and nature of vulnerability, courage, and empathy, … Continue reading Brené Brown: Leader, Pioneer, and Researcher